Trio of Rebels Ranked Among Top 25 Newcomers in College Football

Three Ole Miss Rebels were recently listed among college football's top newcomers for the 2024 season.

Ole Miss WR Juice Wells during fall camp. / Ole Miss Athletics

The 2024 college football season is here, and in the transfer portal era, that means learning new faces on new teams each year.

The Ole Miss Rebels have plenty of new pieces on their roster this fall, many of whom they acquired via the portal. Lane Kiffin's program made a concerted effort to revamp the defensive side of the football this offseason, and it also added some players on the offensive side of the ball, both at skill positions and in the trenches.

Recently, ESPN released a story highlighting the Top 100 newcomers in college football for the 2024 season, breaking the players down into categories. One of these tiers was the Top 25, and Ole Miss had three players make the cut on the list.

The highest ranked Rebel at No. 7 was defensive tackle Walter Nolen, the crown jewel of Ole Miss' portal class and former top recruit in the country in his high school days. Nolen joined the Rebels from Texas A&M, and he has turned heads during fall camp in preparation for the season opener this Saturday.

Nolen put up 66 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and five sacks during his two seasons with the Aggies.

Ole Miss Rebels defensive lineman Walter Nolen during fall camp. / Ole Miss Athletics

Next for Ole Miss on the list was wide receiver Antwane "Juice" Wells Jr. at No. 19. Wells has dealt with injury issues during his college career, but his production at first James Madison and then South Carolina has him primed to be a key part of the Rebels' wideout room this season. In 2022, he earned first-team All-SEC honors with 68 catches for 928 yards and six touchdowns.

Rounding out Ole Miss' representation on the Top 25 (and coming directly behind Wells at No. 20) was cornerback Trey Amos. A transfer from Alabama, Amos has solidified himself as one of the Rebels' top options in the secondary this offseason, going head-to-head with top wide receiver Tre Harris during spring and fall practices. Much of the hype surrounding Ole Miss' defense has been centered on the front seven, but additions like Amos will also make the secondary formidable this season.

The Rebels also had representation outside of the Top 25 in the "big men" category of the story with defensive end Princely Umanmielen, and former Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins was the No. 2 newcomer in the country after transferring to Ohio State this offseason.

The combination of these transfers (and others) along with returning talent on the roster has Ole Miss hopeful for a College Football Playoff berth this season. The journey towards that goal will begin on Saturday when the Rebels play host to the FCS Furman Paladins at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.